The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-01-05
EXPLORERS ASTONiSHED.


Them Have Recently Made.
1t happens now and then that an ex'
plorer makes sensational and wholly
unexpected discovery. Several un que
facts with regard to certain tribes OF
savages have recently been ascertalned'
Mr.. w. Montagn Kerr for instance, has
found among the Makorikori tribe in
in Africa. whom he is the first to de-
scribe. gunpowder which they make
themselves for use in the nint-lock mus
kets which they obtain from native
traders.
This tribe lives far from the cas-,
coast and quite a distance south of the
Zambesi river. Their gunpowder burns
slowly, and its explosive force is far IN
ferior to that of ours, but il answers
their purpose very we'll They mix the
efllorescence of saltpeter with charcoal
which they make from the bark OF the
mufat tree. This mixture is baked in
an eacthcn pot for several hours, and
then it is pulverized and spread in the
sunlight. where it is left for some time
1t is not at all likely that the Makori-
koris, like the Chinese. discovered the
art of making gunpowder. Their faith
ers doubtless learned ii from the Portu-
guese or from slaves who had lived
among white men on the coast. We
hear strange things once in while OF
African tribes, but it was hardly to be
expected that wholly unknown tribe,
hemmed in by the mountains OF inner
Africa, would be found engaged in the
manufacture OF gunpowder.
A few years ago Lieut.. Wissmann
came home and told remarkable story
about tribes he had met with south OF
the Congo river, who were far more
civilized than most African people. His
report is now fully confirmed by the
travels in the same region of L'euts.
Kund and Tappenbeck. They found
last year, between the Congo and Sau-
kuru river, many street villages, with
large, gable-roofed huts standing
souarely on either side of the street
inhabited by brownish-red, fine-looking
people. These villagers have advanced
notions of comfort. They sleep on
wooden bedsteads instead of on the
floor Their homes are the largest yet
found in Africa, and are kept clean.
Their streets are about fifty yards
wide, sometimes two or three miles
long and are carefully swept. Refuse
of all sorts is taken away and thrown
into pits dug for the purpose. They
are clever hunters, and train their dogs
to follow game. They carve pestles
out of ivory for pounding manioc, and
they have astonishing skill as wood
caryers. Lieut.. Kund brought home
two wooden cups representing negro
heads, which might readily be taken
for European products, owing to their
superior workmanship. Behind the
houses of this populous Zenge tribe are
neatly kept gardens and plantations OF
bananas.
When Lieut.. Holm visited an isolated
settlement of East Greenlanders two
years ago he was astonished to find
among these natives, OF whom the
world had never heard, walrus spears
of which the handles were made of
wood, although no timber grew there,
and the points of hoop-iron. He as.
certained that the sea current had
brought these useful commodities to
the poor Esquimaux in the shape OF
wreckage and iron-bound boxes.
1t has recently been shown that in
parts of Chill where European trees and
plants have been introduced the native
flora is actually disappearing and the
imported vegetation is lourishing in its
place. Exporters are often surprised
to see the familiar plants and fru Is Of
other regions growing as exotics where
they did not dream Of finding them.
Kerr discovered the tomato in the far
exterior of Africa, and Schweinfvrth
was much astonished to find tobacco
in the heart of the continent, where il
was raised and enjoyed by natives who
had never heard of its American home,
though the name by which the weed
was known among some tribes Twas
doubtless derived from our name for it
-Nes0 York Sun.